Upstairs
'"Upstairs" '''is the second episode of ''Renaissance, the sixth season, and the 122nd episode overall. It was told and narrated by Rhys, premiering on December 26, 2014. In the episode, The Necromancer ponders his plan in his upstairs lair. The Episode STORYBOOKLAND ONE WEEK AGO Ellis propped himself against the side of the tunnel leading to Gallifrey Estate. He set his bag behind his back for support. He had a few days of food and water in there. Enough time to wait for Anna to go to the tree. Ellis waited. And waited. And waited. Two days passed. Ellis grew increasingly impatient. Where the hell was she? "Let's go," Ellis heard. A boy and girl ran toward the tunnel. Crud, Ellis thought. He quickly improvised. "Spare change?" he said. He put his water cup in front of them. The girl dropped three quarters in his cup. I can get a gumball, Ellis thought. "Deeba!' the boy said. "Hold up!" the girl named Deeba said. She squatted to look at Ellis. He tried to avoid her gaze. "You okay?" Deeba asked. Ellis didn't look at her. "Um," he said. "Well," Deeba said, "I know you're not perfectly alright, but I mean don't you have any family?" "No," Ellis said, "No one." "Have you tried one of the homeless shelters?" Deeba asked. Ellis tried not to slap her. He wasn't freaking homeless. "No." "Do you know where you are?" the boy said rudely, "You are in the tunnel of..." "The Gallifreyan Estate," Ellis said, "Yes I know. I...I'm sorry...I don't mean to intrude. I'll leave." Ellis stood, but Deeba grabbed his arm. "Nonsense!" she said, "It's a public tunnel! You are free to sit out here." "Deeba," the boy muttered, "It is highly dangerous to speak with the homeless." "You know," Deeba said, "I used to sit in this tunnel and listen to stories of the Cult of Gallifrey. I'm sure you've heard of them." Ellis shook his head, pretending to be clueless. He told Deeba his name. His fake name. Deeba then dove into a boring drivel recount of the Cult of Gallifrey. Ellis pretended to play along, asking dumb questions to make Deeba ponder. He knew who she was, of course. The oh so kind Deeba. Whatever. She wasn't important. Not to him, anyway. But there was something about Deeba. She was determined, and well equipped. Perhaps he could use her. "Could I come with you?" Ellis asked. "No, Ellis," Deeba said, "I'm sorry. It's already too dangerous. I can't endanger the life of someone I don't know." Ellis nodded, but he was seething inside. Her too. No one wanted him. "Tell me another story?" Ellis asked. Deeba did. "Operation Blele," she began. Ellis perked up. But she didn't know anything. He knew more than she did. "Has she been found yet?" Ellis asked, referring to Anna or 'Marie.' The boy had started talking about her. Deeba said she hadn't. "She's hiding," Deeba said, "Probably in Frontierland." Frontierland? Ellis thought. Not what he expected. Deeba then gave Ellis sixty credits. Ellis was genuinely surprised. She opened the boy's backpack and removed two T-shirts. One red, one green. "Red or green?" Deeba asked. Ellis said nothing. Deeba tossed him both. "Have a good life, Ellis," Deeba said. The two walked into the tunnel. Ellis blinked twice. What in hell just happened? Clearly, Anna wouldn't be coming along. Ellis stood and stretched. He stuffed the two shirts into his backpack and set across the village. He cast a vehement glare at the tree. Decrepit and abandoned now, Ellis was still seething with anger. The Catalyst was not forgotten. Three were dead now. And Xerxes was still not impressed. Ellis turned his back on the tree and picked up his pace. A snow storm was coming in. FANTASYLAND COURTYARD The Courtyard was empty; the rides were closed for the season, though Peter Pan's ride has been broken for years. Five years, to be exact. Ellis hurried under the awning of Peter Pan's Flight. He stepped over the broken turnstile and entered the dark ride. He found the switch behind the curtain and turned on the remaining lights. The speakers played a dying version of the song that used to bring joy. Ellis pushed open the exit behind the Darling Nursery and climbed the stairs to the attic. UPSTAIRS Ellis maneuvered through the various junk accumulated by the former owners of the ride. He unlocked his secret room's turnstile and entered. He turned on the lights. He tossed his backpack on the table. The shirts flopped out. Ellis inspected them again. They really weren't his style. Behind him was his collage. He had spent four years perfecting it; after all, it was a beautiful reflection of his good work. They were collages: seven in total. The members of Blele were on the left and the newbies: Spencer Tate and the Mailman, were on the right. Ellis worked hard on them. Gathering pictures, data samples, everything for his game. He considered making one for Grace, the blasted Xerxes, but her day would soon come. He didn't need one for her. The two on the furthest left were X-ed over: deceased. Then came Anna's, another X, and Koala. Koala was the most elusive. She was certainly slippery, but Ellis had faith he would get her. Ellis moved the Mailman's collage slightly to the left so he could tack up the shirts Deeba gave him. He could start a collage on her as well. She might do well in the game. Ellis sat in his throne. He turned to his left. "Anna, would you like to read the minutes of the last meeting?" "Of course, sir," Ellis faked her voice. But after a few minutes, as always, Ellis was struck by the sudden silence. The deafening, roaring silence. Just a soft whir from the machines below. Alone. The phone rang. Ellis jumped for it. Only one person could be calling. "Xerxes," Ellis breathed. "Hi," Grace said on the other line. She sniffed. "Don't get excited." "Are you calling to offer me the position of Archduke?" "No," Grace said. "Are you calling to make me your successor?" Ellis asked excitedly. "No," Grace said, "I need your services." Ellis frowned. His services? "I'm sorry?" he said, "What services?" "Oh, don't play dumb with me. Aaron told me you've been working on...chemistry." Ellis smiled. That. "Yeah, I know a few things about that." "Don't get cocky with me," Grace said, "I need something from you. A poison." Ellis frowned. She just wanted to do business with him. After all those visits to her office, begging relentlessly. She never wanted him either. Never. He had no chance. She would never let him be Archduke. Never choose him as her successor. He killed Blele. For her. And she never thanked him. She never cared. "Do we have a deal?" Xerxes said, "I need lethal poison that will kill instantly. I'll pay you, of course." Ellis didn't want money. He never needed it. Ellis gripped the phone. "Yes, sure, I'll send you poison." He hung up. He turned back to his collages. This was it. The plan would be accelerated. Ellis opened a drawer and removed a bottle of capsules. Blue, with red specks. He sealed one pill in a bag and shipped it to Gallifrey Castle. The game was soon to be played. PRESENT DAY The Necromancer moved one of his tiki statues. "Sorry, Mildred," he said. He stacked a few more blocks on the table. That would do nicely. He wiped his forehead. Designing his game was getting more difficult. The rules and all that. A beeping came from behind him. He ignored it. "What if I did two..." the Necromancer muttered. The beeping accelerated. "WHAT?!" the Necromancer shouted at no one. He stalked over to his data readings. One of them was skyrocketing. "Oh my..." the Necromancer said, smiling, "It worked. It actually worked!" He grabbed his Anna tiki. "IT WORKED!" He leaned down to read the data again. "But who?" He read the name. "Oh," he said, "Oh yes...today is Easter!" Production Continuity and Story Arcs The deal that got Xerxes the poison she used on the Archduke was orchestrated in this episode. Ellis was revealed as the desperate man who constantly bothered Xerxes in "The Fall of the Cult of Gallifrey." Ellis is actually NOT homeless, as he lives about Peter Pan's Flight. Five years ago, perhaps shortly after the Catalyst, Ellis broke the ride so he could live above it. References Peter Pan's Flight is a ride in both the real Disney parks and VMK. Trivia *The scene's dialogue between Deeba and The Necromancer is taken directly from "The Stranger." *Ellis mentions how he can get a gumball with the 75 cents Deeba got him. Gumballs are usually 50¢. *Despite being over ten episodes ago, only a week has passed in terms of the series narrative. *One of the memorable moments of the episode was when the Necromancer played with his tiki statues representing the members of Blele. This idea came to producers when they were designing the room in which the episode took place. *This is the first episode to use Fantasyland Courtyard. Category:Episodes Category:Renaissance Episodes